Rochester DJ Mocks City’s Adding Transgender Medical Benefits

In what might be the dumbest of dumb blonde moves ever, Rochester 98.9 FM "Breakfast Buzz" morning host Kimberly and her co-host (and Mr. Clean stunt double) Beck have incited the wrath of the LGBT community by mocking the city’s newly added medical benefits for transgender employees.

"The services that will be paid for under the new coverage -- gender reassignment surgery, psychological counseling, because you’re probably a nut job to begin with," said Kimberly, as reported on Towleroad.

Queing up the music for "Dude Looks Like a Lady," Kimberly says, "The dude can look like a lady and the city is going to pay for it."

The two go on to discuss transgender athletes, including one at a local school, until a woman calls in to tell them that, "It’s incredibly disrespectful towards transgender people. Please don’t spread any misinformation especially when you’re joking about it."

"Thank you, sir," one of the hosts reply, as they all laugh.

The new transgender medical benefits legislation will go into effect on January 1, as reported by the Democrat & Chronicle. The city employees will now be eligible to receive services related to gender reassignment surgery, such as medical and psychological counseling, hormone therapy and cosmetic and reconstructive surgeries.

The decision was announced last week by Mayor Lovely Warren during the Empire State Pride Agenda’s Spring Dinner. It was approved by the city’s Labor Management Healthcare Committee as part of a plan spearheaded by City Councilmember Matt Hagg to raise the city’s Municipal Equality Index of pro-gay policies and inclusiveness.

"Eliminating barriers to health care is simply the right thing to do," Warren said in a statement. "The city was the first to support domestic partnerships, and I am happy that we lead the effort to equalize benefits for all once again."

Winnie McCroy is the Women on the EDGE Editor, HIV/Health Editor, and Assistant Entertainment Editor for EDGE Media Network, handling all women’s news, HIV health stories and theater reviews throughout the U.S. She has contributed to other publications, including The Village Voice, Gay City News, Chelsea Now and The Advocate, and lives in Brooklyn, New York, where she writes about local restaurants in her food blog, http://brooklyniscookin.blogspot.com/